Is this the future of air travel? Airlines look at new ways to cram in more plane seating

For many of us, air travel has already been stripped back to the tightest margins, with little legroom space, minimal on-board food and cramped conditions all part of a flight.

But if the ‘innovations’ that have lately been suggested at an air industry exhibition in Germany are anything to go by, catching a plane to the sunshine destination of your choice may be an even more ‘intimate’ experience in the not too distant future.

Tongue in cheek: While aircraft may not become quite as oversubscribed as these notoriously crowded forms of transport, some of the options being considered for plane seating may leave travellers feeling uncomfortable

Seats that flip up, similar to those found in cinemas – as well as chairs that face other passengers – are all among the options being considered as airlines seek to maximise space on planes.

Or opt for a process of passenger ‘densification’, to use the buzzword.

The recent Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg has showcased several ideas that could see more and more travellers packed into economy class cabins.

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British manufacturer Thompson Aero Seating has offered the idea of the ‘Cozy Suite’ – which would see seats positioned at a slight diagonal angle to make the most of space.

French company Zodiac Aerospace, meanwhile, has debuted a curious design that sees passengers face each other, rather like the seating arrangement on some Tube trains.

With this model, the aisle and window berths of a three-seat row would look one way, while the middle berth would face the row behind or in front – again, saving space.

This concept would supposedly also give passengers more elbow and shoulder room.

Removal of one of the banes of air travel - the arm rest, and who gets to use it - would also increase room for movement. And the seats would pop up, as in a cinema, when the passenger stands - a revolutionary design which would apparently allow travellers to board and exit the plane more swiftly.

Another French company, Expliseat, showed off an idea that may find more favour with passengers – cutting back on the weight of the seat, rather than its size or position.

A lightweight seat, largely constructed of titanium, could weigh in at around nine pounds rather than the usual 24 – potentially saving airlines some £300,000 a year in fuel costs.

‘There is no question that densification – adding more seats to each aircraft – is an ongoing trend, and there is no sign of it letting up any time soon, Seth Kaplan of air industry publication Airline Weekly told the LA Times.